1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a smokable article comprising an aerosol generating zone which includes a combustions element which is formed as a hollow cylinder having at least one passage, and a carrier element for an aerosol precursor which is in thermal contact with the combustion element, a mouthpiece and a sheath for the aerosol generating zone and the mouthpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The influence of condensates occurring in the smoke of burning cigarettes has been under investigation for some time. One aim of the cigarette industry is to reduce this influence by largely eliminating the condensates. The desire to achieve an unrestricted smoking experience is an important design aspect.
A smokable article with tobacco material and a combustion element via a conduit in thermal contact with an aroma capsule is known from European Patent Publication No. 271,036. If in this smokable article the combustion element is ignited the smoker can draw air in an axial direction through the smokable article in the usual manner via a mouthpiece and an air passage, the air being heated at the glowing combustion element and on passing through the porous aroma capsule and the tobacco material, dissolving out aromatic substances without thereby igniting the tobacco material.
The dissolved-out aromatic substances are intended to give the smoker a taste impression with which he is familiar from smoking conventional cigarettes.
However, the taste impression obtained is relatively low because the hot air which passes through the aroma capsule cools down relatively rapidly and is thus not able to dissolve adequate amounts of aromatic substances out of the aroma capsule. In addition, the granulate containing the aromatic substances and filling the aroma capsule is uniformly impregnated with the aromatic substances (precursor material). This does not however take account of the fact that the air temperature in the flow direction diminishes along the aroma capsule so that from the rear portion facing the mouthpiece the heat-activatable flavouring or aroma-forming substances are dissolved out only inadequately.
In addition, in the prior art the aerosol formation takes place in the relatively small volume of the aroma capsule. As a result, between the draws following each other in time only an extremely small aroma reservoir can form and be available for the next draw.
Since the aerosol formation in the known smokable article depends mainly on the supply of the hot air from the combustion element and air is a relatively poor heat conductor, finally a large amount of flavouring or aromatic carrier material is required to obtain an appreciable taste impression.